“Another white guy with a six-string, just what the world needed.” – TV Wife
Anthony McGuire
The Lovers is a painting by Belgian surrealist René Magritte. The work, which depicts two characters separated by fabric hoods while they embrace and appear to be kissing each other, is said to have been inspired by traumatic events experienced by the artist during the early part of his life. This depiction of distance and intimacy was part of the inspiration behind the new single, Social Distancing, from musician Ben Anderson’s new project TV Wife.
Anderson describes TV Wife as a one-person psych-rock project. In the notes that accompany his new self-recorded single, Anderson writes, “Welcome, dear friends, to the psycho-paranoiac hellscape of Social Distancing — a jaunty new cut that stews about in the swirling garbage disposal of our new reality. Lately have you found yourself asking, ‘Where have all the parties gone?’. Have you found yourself waking with the horrible realization that you’ve forgotten the faces of all the people you used to call your friends? Well then, fellow plebs, this one’s for you!”
A product of its own subject matter, Social Distancing was written and recorded in isolation, by Anderson, alone in his apartment. The track’s murky garage rock undertone is offset by the subtle humour that surfaces near the midpoint of the song when Anderson sings,
Another white guy with a six-string, just what the world needed
I don’t drink too much, I’m just a born-again alcoholic
I’m not sure what else I can say except
I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine
Current relevant themes aside, Social Distancing is more than a simple ode to our times. Anderson’s clever pairing of vocal lines and lead guitar melodies that exist together above a cloudy mix of backing vocals, organ leads and a wash of percussion all hint towards a larger vision and a musical competency that foreshadow good things to come. Social Distancing isn’t a one-shot attempt at summarizing the New Normal. It’s a strong indication of good things to come. It’s a little optimism when we need it the most.
TV Wife’s debut album, Indoor Kids, arrives December 4.
